Title

Management of Pleural Drains following Pulmonary Lobectomy

Authoring Organization

Publication Month/Year

May 7, 2024

Last Updated Month/Year

May 13, 2024

Document Type

Consensus

Country of Publication

US

Document Objectives

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery provides this document on management of pleural drains following pulmonary lobectomy. The goal of this consensus document is to provide guidance regarding pleural drains in five specific areas: 1) choice of drain including size, type, and number, 2) management including use of suction versus water seal and criteria for removal, 3) imaging recommendations including the use of daily and post-pull chest x-rays, 4) use of digital drainage systems and 5) management of prolonged air leak. To formulate the consensus statements a task force of 15 general thoracic surgeons were invited to review the existing literature on this topic. Consensus was obtained using a modified Delphi method consisting of two rounds of voting until 75% agreement on the statements was reached. A total of thirteen consensus statements are provided to encourage standardization and stimulate additional research in this important area.

Inclusion Criteria

Male, Female, Adult, Older adult

Health Care Settings

Outpatient, Operating and recovery room

Intended Users

Nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant

Scope

Management

Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)

D038481 - Anterior Temporal Lobectomy

Keywords

Pleural Drains, Pulmonary Lobectomy, Lobectomy

Source Citation

Kent MS, Mitzman B, Diaz-Gutierrez I, Khullar OV, Fernando H, Backhus L, Brunelli A, Cassivi SD, Cerfolio RJ, Crabtree TD, Kakuturu J, Martin LW, Raymond DP, Schumacher L, Hayanga JWA. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Expert Consensus Document on the Management of Pleural Drains following Pulmonary Lobectomy. Ann Thorac Surg. 2024 May 7:S0003-4975(24)00342-4. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2024.04.016. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38723882.